My daughter’s overalls had a few small holes right below the collar. Instead of stitching up the holes, I decided to cover over the damaged area with a square appliqué patch embroidered with the Asanoha pattern. The name of this Sashiko pattern means hemp leaf and comes from its resemblance to that leaf. Because hemp is durable and grows fast, this design is used in Japan to represent the healthy growth of children and the protection from evil spirits.

I prepared a free template of an Asanoha design for you to download if you wish to replicate the appliqué patch that I made. The finished appliqué patch is approximately 9 cm by 9 cm (3 1/2″x 3 1/2″). You can scale the pattern a bit while printing to create a patch that matches your repair. Also, If you want to cover a bigger area with multiple Asanoha patterns, here is a site that explains how to do so.